A Perfect Evening
by Kristen3
Summary: An alternate take on "First Date." Niles has Daphne alone in his apartment. Can he find a way to tell her the truth about who he wanted to have dinner with?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**As much as I LOVE "First Date," I couldn't help wanting to rewrite the ending. This _was _going to be a one-shot, but it got to be too long. And there was a perfect place to split it, so of course I had to do that! Thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) for reading drafts, and to Andrea (iloveromance) for encouraging me to get this up! *Hugs* Hope you like and please R&R!

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><p>I've never had this much fun in the kitchen. But then, I think I would probably enjoy just about anything, as long as Daphne were with me. It all happened so easily. One minute, we were chopping vegetables, the next we were singing. Suddenly, I knew I had to speak up. If ever there were a perfect moment to tell Daphne how I feel, this would be it.<p>

"Daphne?" I said, as she continued to giggle at our impromptu song. Immediately she stopped, looking me straight in the eyes. I had to struggle to remember what I wanted to say. I could only stare at her, amazed that she was actually here, trying to help me prepare for a date I didn't really have.

"Dr. Crane, are you all right?" she asked as I continued to stare. "I know you're nervous, but I have a good feeling about this date."

"I suppose I'm a little nervous, because I'm not sure if she knows how I feel," I said cautiously. I wasn't quite sure I was ready to make a full confession just yet.

"Nonsense!" Daphne exclaimed immediately. "I heard you ask her out meself. She already knows you're interested, so now all you've got to do is show her how charming you are!"

_If only it were that easy_, I thought. "There's...something you should know." Daphne looked at me in confusion. "About that phone call I made earlier. Maybe it's better if I show you," I said, turning to walk back into the living room. Daphne followed, still clearly confused by my actions. Without a word, I walked over to my answering machine and pressed a button. Immediately, my own voice filled the room. I played back the message I'd left on my own machine in a pathetic attempt to hide my true feelings for Daphne.

"I don't understand..." Daphne said as the recording ended. "You called your own answering machine?"

"When you asked me who I was in love with, I didn't know what to say, so I just said the first thing I could think of." I hung my head in shame. I couldn't even look at her after what I'd just admitted. The one thing I was always sure of was the friendship Daphne and I shared. And now I had ruined that, as well as any chance of something more between us.

"Why would you be scared to tell me who you and your brother were talking about?" Daphne's confusion lasted only a moment longer. "Da-Phyllis," she said, repeating what I'd said when she asked the woman's name. "Dr. Crane," she began. Suddenly I could hardly breathe. Daphne took a step toward me. Nervously, I looked up at her, my heart beating wildly out of control. "You were going to say someone else's name at first, weren't you?" I nodded. For a second, I felt dizzy. This could not be happening. I reached for the nearby chair and went to sit down. Daphne looked down at me, concern on her face. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. Just a bit of dizziness," I said. "Nerves, I guess." When I began to get up, she stopped me.

"Just stay here. I'll go get you some water." Before I could protest, she walked back into the kitchen. She returned almost immediately, glass in hand. "Here, drink this," she said, handing it to me.

I took the glass and gulped the contents quickly. It did seem to steady my nerves. "Thank you," I murmured.

She took the empty glass from me, then squeezed my hand. Immediately, I felt a chill go through me at her touch. Her sympathetic smile nearly made me feel faint again. "Do you feel better?" she asked.

"Yes," I stammered. I started to say more, but Daphne stopped me.

"There's no reason for you to get so excited, Dr. Crane. Just take a few deep breaths, and then you can explain why you left that message on your machine." When I looked at her, I had the strangest feeling that she already knew the explanation.


	2. Chapter 2

I looked into Daphne's beautiful brown eyes and forced myself to calm down. This may not have been how I wanted to make my confession, but this was as good a time as any. "The conversation you overheard in Frasier's kitchen this afternoon...we were talking about you."

"About me?" Daphne asked. "But why..."

I stood up. Daphne did not try to stop me this time. I took hold of both her hands, amazed at how wonderfully soft they were. "I was telling Frasier how frustrating it is to be in love with someone who has no idea how you feel. I've felt this way for a very long time, Daphne." I sighed, ashamed of what I'd done. "But when you were asking me about the woman I loved, I couldn't quite work up the nerve to tell you the truth. I can't tell you how sorry I am. If you never wanted to speak to me again, I would understand."

"Never speak to you again? Why would I do a thing like that?" she asked.

"Well, we're supposed to be friends, aren't we? I lied to you. That's not exactly the sort of thing a friend should do, is it?" I felt like a child caught misbehaving. I could hardly even look at her.

"No...it isn't," she admitted. "But friends can make mistakes. If I asked you again about the woman you loved, would you tell me the truth this time?"

"Of course," I replied immediately. I paused, waiting for her to ask.

"What's her name?" Daphne obliged.

I sighed, staring into those brown eyes. "Her name just happens to be...Daphne." I reached over to touch her cheek and found that it was even softer than I'd imagined.

She gasped slightly when she heard the words. But she did not pull away from me. "That's better." She put her arms around my neck. I could hardly believe this was happening.

"I know I should've told you the truth from the beginning. I was just so afraid of what you would say, and I didn't know what else to do." I could hardly believe she was here, in my arms. The smell of her perfume overwhelmed my senses.

"Do you want to know what I would have said?" she asked. I nodded, unable to speak This moment was almost too good to be true. "I would have said yes."

I couldn't believe what I heard. "You would?"

Daphne nodded. "You've always been so nice to me, buying me gifts, or listening to me stories. And look at what we did tonight, in the kitchen. I don't know when I've had a better time." The smile on her face melted my heart.

"I had fun, too," I said. "I always do, whenever I'm with you." I kissed the back of her hand.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked.

I immediately thought of the food in the kitchen. "Well, we _do_ have all this food. Are you hungry?"

Daphne smiled. "Yes. That sounds lovely." She held me even tighter. My head began to spin again. Before I even knew what was happening, I leaned down and kissed her. It was a small, gentle kiss on the lips. But it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. Daphne sighed softly.

"We should eat," she said. "Before the food gets cold. I hope you like me roast!" I remembered how hard she'd worked, putting this meal together, not even expecting to eat any of it herself. It was the nicest thing anyone had done for me in a long time.

"I'm sure I will," I said. "I can't thank you enough for making it."

Daphne blushed at my compliment. "It was nothing special. Just one of me recipes. I know you don't get too many home-cooked meals these days."

I thought about the many lonely nights I've had since Maris and I split up. They seemed like a distant memory now. "It _was _something special," I corrected her. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your kindness."

Daphne kissed my cheek. "It was my pleasure."

I sighed. "I'll have to find some way to thank you." I kissed her again, longer this time. I knew this was something I'd never get tired of.

"Let's see," she said with a grin. "Dinner with a charming, handsome man. I'd say that's about all the thanks I need."

I blushed. "Thank you, Daphne." I kissed her one more time, then managed to pull out of the embrace. I carefully led her to the table and pulled out her chair. As I sat and admired the food before me, I couldn't help but think that I'd never had a better meal. Not only was this better than any of the finest gourmet restaurants in Seattle, but I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather share it with.

**The End**


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